May 5, 2011

Within hours of Mountain View Baptist Church, Phil Campbell, being devastated by a tornado April 27, one church member could be found amid the rubble with his post hole digger. He was determined to get the cross back up as soon as possible to let the community know the church is not the building.

The church is the people — who are the body of Christ. And with the cross, Mountain View Baptist members are sending a message of 2 Corinthians 6:16: “For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’”

This same theme was repeated across the state as more than 15 Alabama Baptist churches found themselves sifting through debris and dealing with major damage. But no matter the level of loss, the spirit of love and unity among church members outstaged the destruction around them.

They all held strong and affirmed that despite the loss of brick and mortar, the body itself — the church — was not harmed.

Alabama Baptist individuals, churches, entities and organizations not harmed by the storms also stepped up right away to help and care for those who had suffered loss.

Neighbor assisted neighbor and communities reached out beyond their own. Churches opened their doors to whatever role they could best play.

And trained Alabama Baptist disaster relief volunteers fanned out across the state within hours of the deadly tornado outbreak. Volunteers from other states soon followed.

Relief efforts began with search and rescue, then moved to cleanup, feeding and chaplaincy efforts.

While only a fraction of the overall number of Alabama Baptist churches suffered in some way, all Alabama Baptists have forever been impacted.

This edition of The Alabama Baptist is dedicated to the spirit of love and unity in Christ being demonstrated throughout the state. (TAB)